INDIANAPOLIS — There’s always something, be it physical or mental, that so often starts as a rumor or misconstrued comment and spirals into a full-blown narrative. Sometimes it’s founded. Many times it’s not.

The perfect NFL prospect is a rare breed and, frankly, a subjective label as two players in particular are finding out this year.

Josh Rosen, the former UCLA quarterback regarded by many NFL scouts and analysts as the most pro-ready prospect at his position, has had the proverbial character flag — multiple, actually — waving alongside him for months: He’s a spoiled brat. He’s a smart kid, but too smart for his own good. He’s opinionated, but says too much. He’s a talented player, but not a good teammate.

“I think teams are looking for different personalities and all different kinds of guys,” Rosen said Friday at the NFL combine. “I’m not going to present a fake image of myself. Some advice to someone with issues in the past is to have these pre-rehearsed questions and, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t ever do that again.’ I think that you have to be yourself, you have to be authentic and you have to show that you’ve learned and grown over the years. You have to own your mistakes. That’s what I’m trying to show. I’m trying to show who I really am and not who I’m trying to be. I don’t want them to draft someone they think they’re getting and then not get that guy.

“I think that’s also what your teammates want. Your teammates don’t want a fake shell of yourself. Teammates want you to be you every single day so you’re that reliable rock that they can count on.”

One such teammate was on hand to attest to this as offensive lineman Scott Quessenberry called Rosen’s reputation “B.S.” and said the NFL team that drafts him will get “a once in a millennium talent.”

Many of the same criticisms have been made of Baker Mayfield, who acquired a Johnny Manziel comparison because of his off-field actions that include a 2017 drunken arrest and a demeanor that can be perceived as arrogance. He did little to persuade anyone otherwise Friday, but claimed it’s not cockiness. “I’m confident,” he said, adding that “if there’s anyone who could turn the (Browns) around, it’s me” and that “I’m the most accurate quarterback in this draft by far.”

Their undisputed talent but oft-questioned character has made Rosen and Mayfield two of the most polarizing players in the upcoming draft and two of the more interesting ones for the Broncos’ future as they decide their next quarterback.

Broncos general manager John Elway will meet with both during 15-minute interviews at the NFL combine and later host them on visits to the teams’ Dove Valley training facility. And, depending on Denver’s acquisitions in free agency, both quarterbacks have legitimate chances to be in orange and blue next season.

But from now until the April draft, the in-person meetings will count more than the tape does. Rosen, especially.

“I’m looking forward to drawing my own conclusions because I’ve heard so many different things out there about all the quarterbacks,” Elway said. “He can throw it. Arm talent-wise, he can throw it as good as anybody and he’s a competitor … and the bottom line is you have to have confidence to play that position. So if he’s over-confident, that’s not bad.”

And maybe, just maybe, the same was said of Elway.

“I would have a feeling some people would say yes,” Elway admitted with a wide smile.

If there’s one quarterback prospect the Broncos know more about, however, it’s Mayfield. Coach Vance Joseph and the Broncos’ staff spent nearly a week with him at the Senior Bowl in January and came away impressed by not just Mayfield’s ability to play quarterback — his arm strength, his accuracy, his measurable talents — but also his command of the huddle and devotion to the game, two intangibles that rank high on the Broncos’ list.

“He’s proved he can play,” Elway said. “… What I’ve seen is obviously there are some things that he’d admit that he’d want to take back. A lot of times you get tied up in the emotions of the situation and where he is. I like to see a guy with that kind of passion.”

Since the offseason began for the Broncos, finding their quarterback of the future has been the top priority and Elway made it clear they would scour the free-agent market to find their guy. Maybe it’s Kirk Cousins. Maybe it’s Case Keenum. Maybe it ends up being Tyrod Taylor or even Nick Foles via trade.

But with the No. 5 overall selection and a draft class heavy on quarterback talent, the Broncos have options, and plenty of good ones. And if you ask Mayfield and Rosen, the best quarterbacks are currently in Indianapolis.

“I think I’m the best quarterback here,” Rosen said, echoing Mayfield’s assessment of himself. “I think I can diagnose defenses and put the ball where it needs to be, and make quick decisions. We’re all competitors and I think every other quarterback should have the same exact belief that I do.”

Nicki Jhabvala is the lead Broncos and NFL beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving at The Post in 2014, she spent nearly two years as a senior staff editor at The New York Times and five years at Sports Illustrated.

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